Crushes of Christmas Past
by RainThestral93
Summary: It's nearly Christmas and the days are getting colder, and the nights darker. There's a lot to be done; snowball fights to be had, mince pies to be baked and lights to put up. The Weasleys and friends are filled with Christmas spirit – and perhaps with the ingenious aid of George's eavesdropping skills & Prankster abilities, Fred and Hermione will have a Christmas to remember...


**Crushes of Christmases Past:  
Chapter One: Apple Sauce**

**Author Notes**: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, then well, I sincerely doubt I would be writing Fan Fiction. Everything is the product of JK Rowling aside from the plot, for that's mine. *Mwhahaha*. This takes place three years after the Final Battle; so Hermione etc. are twenty one, and everyone else proportionally older. Fred didn't die, Lavendar's still alive, Sirius is also alive and so are Remus and Tonks. Basically nobody died because I'm pathetic and can't stand the thought of some of my favourite characters dying *cries*. So yeah. Enjoy… and review (or else the Gremlins will come eat you) – Beth :) xx

Think of this as my Christmas present to you Fremione fans out there, I love you all - and very happy Christmas! [This should be completed by Christmas, in case you're wondering why I'm putting it out there so early].

* * *

"'Mione?" Ginny called from upstairs. Reluctantly, the Gryffindor bookworm placed her book down on the coffee table, memorising the page number so that she could return to it lately. Taking off the fleece throw she'd been snuggled in, she shivered; for it was getting much colder, now, and she wouldn't be surprised if it were to snow.

"What is it?" Hermione asked kindly, smiling down at her flustered red-haired best friend. The girl in question had a piece of spellotape stuck to her forehead and was looking rather disgruntled. Closing the gap between them, Hermione reached down to pluck it off.

"Thanks," Ginny grinned, "I've finished wrapping everyone's present now, but yours," she sighed, "I've got no idea what to get you. I don't just want to get you books like everybody else…"

"Well then don't then," Hermione remarked, amused. She always wondered why it was that everybody had such a hard time selecting gifts for her – she wasn't _that_hard to buy for, was she? She was certainly easily pleased, and always grateful. "What are you getting Harry?" The older girl asked, a small smile playing on her face as she watched the look of adoration that flitted across Ginny's features.

"Well it's our two year anniversary soon," she grinned, "And I'm hoping to get a rock on my finger," she admitted. "Harry's been so distant lately – and if I didn't know him better, I'd think he'd gone off me. He's definitely hiding something, though, that's for sure," Ginny smirked. "So I got him the new Nimbus 400, I saw him lusting after it the other day in Diagon Alley."

Hermione smiled – trust Ginny to be so sure that she was getting engaged soon. "Sounds great," she murmured, and Ginny cocked her head curiously.

"So who you bringing to Mum's Christmas bash?" The girl enquired deviously, "If you haven't got a date then I can always set you up, you know."

"I don't need setting up," Hermione bit back rather snidely, for her relationship history was something of a sensitive subject. "I'll find someone."

"Got your eye on anyone so far?" Ginny's tone was sly and interrogative. Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Why'd you say?"

"Oh, I don't know," Ginny smirked, feigning nonchalance, "But you've been making eyes at Fred over the Apple sauce for the past few weeks…"

Hermione could feel her cheeks turning an unfortunate shade of pink as she recalled asking the redhead to pass her the sauce, stumbling over her words and proceeding to spill gravy _all_over the table. She'd mopped it up with her wand instantaneously, and the entire incident had gone unnoticed – but evidently not by Ginny, it seemed. "I don't know what you're on about," she said, lacking the conviction that Ginny would have needed to have been convinced otherwise.

"Oh come off it," Ginny laughed, "I'm your best friend, 'Mione, I know what you're like. So you fancy Fred, so what?" She sighed, "Although can I just say you have no taste, whatsoever… first Ron, now Fred?"

Hermione sunk down onto the covers of Ginny's bed, sighing, "Yeah but he certainly doesn't feel the same way about me, though, so what's the point?"

"Well how do you know that?" Ginny remarked.

Hermione shrugged. "Well there's been plenty of seemingly perfect opportunities between us," she sighed, "and he hasn't so much as made a move."

"He's probably worried he'll get his bits hexed off by Ron," Ginny smirked, for Ron hadn't taken kindly to Hermione and his' somewhat tense breakup. They were friends, now, but he still shot daggers at any male who so much as glanced at Hermione in passing. The brunette snorted with laughter.

"Yeah well… it's not happening. I'll probably just bring like Neville, or someone," she sighed, resigned.

Ginny chuckled, "Nah, Neville's dating Luna, Mum's already invited them – they're practically part of the family anyway. So you might as well ask Fred."

"Ginevra Weasley," Hermione bit, "I am not, under any circumstances, asking Frederick Gideon Weasley to the Weasley _couples_family dinner. End of."

"OK, OK," laughed Ginny, "But I'll work on it."

"You'll do nothing of the sort!" Exclaimed Hermione, hurling a pillow in the redhead's direction as she did so.

"OK!" Ginny surrendered. "I promise I won't interfere!"

But George Weasley made no such promise, as he stood outside the bedroom door listening to the conversation. Eavesdropping was quite a hard habit to kick – but George thought to himself that if he played his cards right, then this Christmas might just be the best Christmas his twin had ever had…

* * *

George bounded excitably up the stairs, a plan already formulating in his mind.

"Freddie, dear, I've had an idea."

"And what would that be?" Fred grinned, looking up from the concept sketch of a product George and himself had been working on the past few weeks.

"Present ideas," the redhead smirked, "I know exactly what to get everyone."

"You're thinking of causing chaos, aren't you, dear bro?" Fred was already grinning, a smile stretched from ear to ear .

"Me, cause chaos?" His brother chuckled, "I don't know what you're on about."

"So spill the beans then," an eager Fred demanded.

"Well you know how Harry and Ginny have been dating for yonks now, and Mum's really desperate for them to start popping out specky gits?"

"Yeah?" Fred countered, bemused.

"And how Ron goes bright red in the face whenever anyone mentions Luna Lovegood?"

Fred nodded.

"And how Percy totally fancies the pants of Audrey, but refuses to admit that she's anything more than "just a friend", the pompous git he is?"

Fred smirked – his older brother had been drooling over Audrey, his co-worker, ever since she'd started working with him. "Yeah? But where are you going with this Georgie?"

"Wait a second," he instructed his brother bossily. "You know how Charlie totally wants a piece of Evie? And how I really want to make my relationship with Angie more serious other than just "fooling around"?"

His brother nodded in understanding; for months Angelina Johnson had refused to commit to being anything more than "friends with benefits" with his Prankster twin – a concept Molly Weasley, to say the least, wasn't impressed with.

"Well I was thinking that we should do something which makes them all admit their true feelings for one another – a spell in their Christmas cards, or on a piece of clothing or something," George smirked, "That way they'll have no choice but to blurt out their hidden feelings, and then it's up to them to act on it or not."

"I like it," Fred smirked, "Very embarrassing. But wouldn't it be so much better if we made them blurt out all their crushes they've ever had, past and present?"

"Now you're thinking," George beamed, "I like it. "We should slip the spell to everyone, then, because I don't know about you but I'd _love _to hear the names of all the birds Sirius has ever had a thing for."

"Pure genius," Fred grinned, "Looks like we've got some inventing to do."

And so it was with a very wicked smirk, and a mischievous glint in his eye that George began to think of a way of slipping the gift to his twin, too, hopefully, setting him up with Hermione Granger, who the redhead had quite clearly developed a thing for over recent months – even though Fred wouldn't admit it to anyone, least of all George. The things you do for family, Fred chuckled to himself...


End file.
